The Farm-City Committee of the Pike County Chamber of Commerce elected Randy Hale to serve a second consecutive term as committee chair.

Hale, who recently retired from the Natural Resources Conservation Service, said that he has enjoyed working with the Farm-City committee, which he said does an outstanding job of bringing into focus the importance of the relationship between the rural and urban communities.

Hale gave an overview of the Farm-City Committee’s activities throughout 2012 during the group’s December meeting.

Hale said that the annual Farm-City Banquet was again a great success with awards presented to 11 recipients who made outstanding contributions to agriculture during the year and helped strengthen the bond between the rural and urban communities.

Committee member Tammy Powell said there was an increased number of entries in the Farm-City essay contest this year.

“We had more essays and more essays that kept to the theme than we usually do, many more,” she said. “We had fewer entries in the poster contest but it runs like that. Sometimes there are more essays and other times there are more posters. But, either way, we have really good participation.”

There was not a Century Farm or Heritage Award recipient this year and Hale said there are several Pike County farms that should qualify.

“Pike County has more Century and Heritage Farms than any county in the state,” he said. “We have one farm that we are working on and, hopefully, we’ll have more farm owners to apply.”

Hale said the Pocosin tour was a tremendous success and expressed regret that the Red Hat Ladies were not able to participate due the lack of available space.

Powell suggested that a farm-related tour be planned especially for the Red Hat Ladies.

“They always enjoy the tours and there are several farms and farm-related businesses that they would find interesting,” she said.

Hale said the Farm-City Swap between Henderson farmer Mack Scott and Troy University Basketball Coach Don Maestri was a learning experience for both.

“This was one of the best match-ups we’ve had and they both had a good time,” Hale said.

The committee discussed ways to involve the schools in Farm-City Week activities and also ways to be more involved in the Pike County community.

Suggestions for school involvement included mini farms, cow milking exhibitions and a partnership with the Ag Academy at Goshen High School.

Participating in local parades was a way that was suggested to be more visible in the community.

Kathy Sauer, Chamber president, suggested that a list of volunteer speakers be complied.

“Clubs and organizations are always looking for speakers,” she said.

“That would be a good way for us to let people know about the Farm-City Committee and the work it does and why.

We need to have a list of volunteer speakers ready if and when we are asked. This would be a great way to be more involved in the Pike County community.”